Flywheel governor for parking meters



June 5, 1951 R. T. TRlER ETAL FLYWHEEL GOVERNOR FOR PARKING METERS FiledSept. 21, 1949 INVENTpRS Raymond T Trver MwrbinHKa/efer ATTORNEYSPatented June 5, 1951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FLYWHEEL GOVERNOR FOR,PARKING METERS Application September 21, 1949, Serial No. 116,972

9 Claims.

The invention relates generally to coin-operated parking meters of the.general type shown in the McGay Patent No. 2,284,221, and in theco-pending application of R. T. Trier, P. C. Janson and R. D. Murphy,Serial No. 111,648, filed August 22, 1949, and entitled Time Selectingand Coin Handling Mechanism. More particularly, the invention relates tonovel governing means for the clockwork mechanism which drives theresetting mechanism of the meter.

In the conventional clockwork mechanism embodied in parking meters, asmall fan is geared to the mechanism and acts as a governor or brakeagainst the action of the main spring in driving the resettingmechanism. Consequently, a certain amount of the energy of the mainspring is used to overcome the braking action of the fan, which detractsfrom the driving efliciency of the main spring and decreases the numberof resetting-operations obtained with one winding.

However, the inertia of the fan is not sufficient to slow down thestarting speed of the resetting mechanism materially, and as a resultenough additional frictional engagement must be maintained-betweentheindicator and indicator shaft to prevent a sharp jar or impact whenthe ratchet pawl-drivenby the resetting mecha nism engages the ratchetcam on the indicator to advance or reset the indicator. Such a jar orimpact tends to cause the indicator to be advanced too far along thetime scale so that it does not register accurately the proper timeinterval corresponding to the coin deposited. This additional frictionalengagement between the indicator and indicator shaft requires additionalenergy from the main spring and hence decreases the number of resettingoperations obtained from one winding.

It is a general object of the present invention to provide novelgoverning means for the clockwork mechanism of a parking meter, whichovercomes the disadvantages of prior constructions.

Another and more specific object is to provide novel governing means forthe clockwork driving the resetting mechanism of a parking meter, whichgoverning means retards the starting speed of the resetting mechanismwithout substantially increasing the load on the main spring.

Another object is to provide novel governing means which aids the mainspring in driving the resetting mechanism after said mechanism has beenstarted.

A further object is to provide novel governing means which regulates theresetting mechanism to set the indicator accurately while requiring lessfrictional engagement between the indicator and indicator shaft.

Another object is-to 'providenovel governing means for the resettingmechanism which diminishes the starting impact. between the ratchet pawland the ratchet cam on the indicator and which obtains a substantiallygreater number of resetting operations for one winding of the main.

spring.

A still further object is to provide novel gov;- erning means which issimple and inexpensive,v

which is easily incorporated with a brake for stopping the mechanismwhich drives the resetting mechanism, and which embodies friction clutchmeans for relieving shock on the brake shaft.

These and other objects are accomplished by the parts, improvements,constructions and combinations comprising the present invention, apreferred embodiment of which is shown in the accompanying drawing asexemplifying the best known mode of carrying out the invention, the saidembodiment being described in detail in the following specification,and-the scope of the invention being defined in the appended claims.

In general terms, the flywheel governor comprising the present inventionmay be described as including a spinner assembly which is driven througha gear train from the drive shaft for the resetting mechanism and isarranged to be stopped by a trip latch actuated by a coin-controlledtrip lever, there being a flywheel journaled on the spinner shaft andfriction clutch means between the flywheel and a drive pinion on saidshaft.

Referring to the drawings in which a preferred embodiment of theinvention is shown by way of example;

Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation looking toward the rear side of thefront plate of the clockwork for a parking meter, showing somewhatdiagrammatically the trip latch and flywheel governing means,otherp-arts of the clockwork being omitted for the sake of clarity;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detached axial sectional view of the spinner brakeassembly and flywheel governor;

Fig. 3 is an end elevation as on line 33, Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a. cross sectional view as on line 44, Fig. 2.

Similar numerals refer to' similar parts throughout the several views ofthe drawing.

In Fig. 1 the front plate on which the clockwork mechanism is mounted isindicated generally at 10, and preferably this plate is shaped to fitagainst the rear surface of a casing on the opposite side of which theresettingmecham'sm is mounted. The plate, Iii may be provided withcircular holes i I, I2, and I3, as shown. The shaft on which theindicator of the resetting mechanism is mounted is shown'at l4 and thewind-- 3 'ing arbor for winding the main spring of the clockwork in ausual manner is shown at I5.

The trip shaft It extends forwardly through the casing of the resettingmechanism and is arranged to be rocked or rotated by a coin-controlledtrip lever (not shown) which is part of the resetting mechanism, so thatwhen a coin is deposited in the meter the trip shaft will start theclockwork to drive the resetting mechanism. Preferably, a wire triplatch I1 is bent around and secured to the shaft [6, and is arranged tostart the clockwork to drive the resetting mechanism when the outer endof the latch is raised, as indicated in dot-dash lines. Preferably, thelatch has a hook 8 at its outer end for engaging the spinner brake arm,and has a spring (9 connecting its inner end to the rear plate of theclockwork for urging the hook l8 downwardly.

The shaft 20, which is referred to as the sector shaft in the aforesaidco-pending application, extends forwardly through the plate H3 and thecasing attached thereto, for operative connection with the resettingmechanism. The shaft has a pinion 2i fixed thereon called the secondpinion, and driven by a gear 22 which is driven through suitable gearingfrom the main sprin (not shown). The shaft 20 is operatively connectedto the spinner brake assembly by a gear train including a gear 23 on theshaft called the third wheel, and the third wheel meshes with a thirdpinion 24 fixed on a shaft 25. The shaft 25 carries a fourth wheel 26meshing with a fourth pinion 2'! on a shaft 28, and the shaft 28 carriesa fifth wheel 29 meshing with the spinner pinion 33 secured on thespinner shaft 3 I.

As indicated in Fig. 2, the pinion 30 may be secured to the shaft orarbor 3| by splines 32, and a steel washer 33 is journaled on the shaft3! and frictionally abuts one side of the pinion. A shouldered sleeve 34journaled on shaft 3| is yieldingly urged against the washer 33 by meansof a compression spring 35 which is secured at one end on the reducedportion of sleeve 34, and journaled at its other end against theshoulder 36 of a collar 31 secured to the shaft 3|. The outer end of thespring 35 has a radially extendin angular arm 38 which is adapted to beengaged by the hook l8 of the latch I1 to stop rotation of the spinnerpinion 30, and accordingly stop rotation of the sector drive shaft 20through the gear train operatively connecting the shafts.

The novel flywheel governor is mounted on the shaft 3i on the oppositeside of the pinion 30. The flywheel governor :33 is a metal disc securedpreferably on a shouldered collar 4| which is journaled on the shaft 3!and abutted on its outer surface by a metal washer 42 which is held inplace by a collet 43 secured on the shaft 3|.

Friction clutch means acting between the flywheel and the spinner pinion30 preferably includes a double-ply dished Washer 44 which at itscentral part frictionally engages the pinion and at its outer edgefrictionally engages the flywheel. Preferably a small amount of graphiteis applied between the collet 43 and washer 42, between the dishedwasher 44 and pinion 33, between the steel washer 33 and sleeve 34, andbetween the shoulder 36 and the end of spring 35.

In the operation of the novel flywheel governor, when the trip latch I 1is actuated by a coin being deposited in the meter, the hook l8 releasesthe arm 38 of the spinner assembly allowing the spinnerpinion 30 andshaft 3| to be rotated through the gear train from the drive shaft 20,which of course allows the drive shaft to operate the resettingmechanism. The frictional engagement between the dished washer 44 andthe pinion and flywheel, causes the flywheel to rotate with the pinion,but the inertia of the flywheel is sufficient to govern or regulate thespeed of the sector shaft 20 so that the ratchet pawl driven by theresetting mechanism does not strike the ratchet cam on the indicatorshaft too sharply and drive the indicator past the desired time intervalshown on the time scale. As the flywheel comes up to the speed of thespinner shaft 3|, the momentum of the flywheel provides additionalenergy toward rotating the sector shaft 20, thus relieving the load onthe main spring somewhat, with the result that a greater number ofresetting operations is accomplished with one winding of the mainspring,

This is a decided advantage over the conventional constructions using afan as a governor, because the fan always acts as a brake against thedriving action of the main spring, and accordingly each resettingoperation requires additional energy, so that the total number ofoperations obtained with one setting is substantially less than with thepresent flywheel governor.

The inertia of the flywheel when the spinner pinion starts to rotateactually slows down the initial speed of the resetting mechanism byabout 30 per cent over prior mechanisms using a fan type of governor,and this diminishes the jar or impact of the ratchet pawl against theindicator ratchet cam to such an extent that a much smaller amount offrictional engagement between the indicator shaft and the indicator isrequired to allow the indicator to remain at its advanced position whenthe resetting mechanism pulls the ratchet pawl back to startingposition, the indicator being returned in the proper time interval fromthe advanced position by the clockwork operating through the usualescapement. Due to this lesser amount of frictional engagement betweenthe indicato and its shaft, the resetting operation of advancing theindicator through the engagement of the ratchet pawl and the indicatorratchet cam requires less energy from the main spring and increases thenumber of resetting operations obtained from one winding of the spring.

When the coin-controlled trip lever of the resetting mechanism isreleased, allowing the spring Hi to rock the hook 18 of the trip latchdownwardly, it engages the arm 38 of the spring 35 and stops itsrotation. When the rotation of the spring is stopped, the friction ofthe spring against the shoulder 36 tends to lengthen the spring whichexerts a gradually increasing compressing force against the sleeve 34,which in turn stops the pinion 30 through the frictional engagement ofthe washer 33. As the pinion 30 stops, the frictional engagement of thedished washer 44 with the pinion and the flywheel 40 allows the flywheelto slip momentarily and thus come to a gradual stop after the pinion hasstopped, thus avoiding undue shock on the shaft 3| due to the momentumof the flywheel.

The novel flywheel governing mechanism accordingly slows down thestarting speed of the resetting mechanism without substantiallyincreasing the load on the main spring and obtains greater accuracy inresetting the indicator. A greater number of resetting operations isobtained for one winding of the main spring by decreasing the amount offrictional engagement between the indicator and its shaft and by aidingthe main spring in driving the resetting mechanism after the flywheelhas accelerated. Moreover, the novel flywheel governor is adapted to beembodied easily in a conventional clockwork mechanism in place of theordinary fan type governor, without imposing a shock load on thegovernor shaft.

In the foregoing description certain terms have been used for brevity,clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to beimplied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because suchwords are used for descriptive purposes herein and. are intended to bebroadly construed.

Moreover, the embodiment of the improved construction illustrated anddescribed herein is by way of example, and the scope of the presentinvention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention, the construction, the operation anduse of a preferred embodiment thereof, and the advantageous new anduseful results obtained thereby; the new and useful constructions, andreasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled inthe art, are set forth in the appended claims.

We claim:

1. In a parking meter having an indicator resetting drive shaft and aclockwork for driving said drive shaft, a spinner brake shaft, a spinnerpinion fixed on the spinner shaft and operatively connected through agear train to said resetting drive shaft, a coin-operated trip latch forstopping rotation of said spinner pinion, a flywheel journaled on saidspinner shaft, and friction clutch means between said pinion andflywheel.

2. In a parking meter having an indicator resetting drive shaft and aclockwork for driving said drive shaft, a spinner brake shaft, a spinnerpinion fixed on the spinner shaft and operatively connected through agear train to said resetting drive shaft, a coin-operated trip latch forstopping rotation of said spinner pinion, a flywheel journaled on saidspinner shaft, and a dished washer frictionally engaged between saidpinion and flywheel for allowing the flywheel to stop gradually afterthe pinion is stopped.

3. In a parking meter having an indicator resetting drive shaft and aclockwork for driving said drive shaft, a spinner brake shaft, a spinnerpinion fixed on the spinner shaft and operatively connected through agear train to said resetting drive shaft, friction means journaled onsaid spinner shaft and abutting one side of said spinner pinion, aspring rotatable with and urging said friction means against saidpinion, a coin-operated trip latch for engaging said spring to stoprotation thereof, a flywheel journaled on said spinner shaft, andfriction clutch means between said pinion and flywheel.

4. In a parking meter having an indicator resetting drive shaft and aclockwork for driving said drive shaft, a spinner brake shaft, a spinnerpinion fixed on the spinner shaft and operatively connected through agear train to said resetting drive shaft, friction means journaled onsaid spinner shaft and abutting one side of said spinner pinion, aspring rotatable with and urging said friction means against saidpinion, a coin-operated trip latch for engaging said spring to stoprotation thereof, a flywheel journaled on said spinner shaft, and adished washer frictionally engaged between said pinion and flywheel forallowing the flywheel to stop gradually after the pinion is stopped.

5. In a parking meter having an indicator resetting drive shaft and aclockwork for driving said drive shaft, a spinner brake shaft, a spinnerpinion fixed on the spinner shaft and operatively connected through agear train to said resetting drive shaft, a friction washer abutting oneside of said spinner pinion, a sleeve journaled on said shaft forforcing said washer against said pinion, a spring secured at one end tosaid sleeve, springretaining means abutting the other end of saidspring, a coin-operated trip latch arranged to engage said other end ofthe spring to stop rotation thereof, a flywheel journaled on saidspinner shaft on the opposite side of said pinion, and friction clutchmeans between said pinion and flywheel.

6. In a parking meter having an indicator resetting drive shaft and aclockwork for driving said drive shaft, a spinner brake shaft, a spinnerpinion fixed on the spinner shaft and operatively connected through agear train to said resetting drive shaft, a friction washer abutting oneside of said spinner pinion, a sleeve journaled on said shaft forforcing said washer against said pinion, a spring secured at one end tosaid sleeve, springretaining means abutting the other end of saidspring, a coin-operated trip latch arranged to engage said other end ofthe spring to stop rotation thereof, a flywheel journaled on saidspinner shaft on the opposite side of said pinion, and a dished Washerfrictionally engaged between said pinion and flywheel.

'7. In a parking meter having indicator resetting mechanism and aclockwork including means for driving said resetting mechanism, a brakeshaft operatively connected through a gear train with said drivingmeans, coin-operated trip means for stopping rotation of said brakeshaft, a flywheel journaled on said shaft, and friction clutch meansacting between said flywheel and shaft.

8. In a parking meter having indicator resetting mechanism and aclockwork including means for driving said resetting mechanism, a brakeshaft having a pinion fixed thereon operatively connected through a geartrain with said driving means, coin-operated trip means for stoppingrotation of said pinion, a flywheel journaled on said shaft, andfriction clutch means between said pinion and flywheel.

9. In a parking meter having indicator resetting mechanism and aclockwork including means for driving said resetting mechanism, a brakeshaft having a pinion fixed thereon operatively connected through a geartrain with said driving means, coin-operated trip means for stoppingrotation of said pinion, a flywheel journaled on said shaft, and adished washer frictionally engaged between said pinion and flywheel.

RAYMOND T. TRIER. MARTIN H, KAEFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,284,221 McGay May 26, 19422,285,056 Ruska June 2, 1942 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 558,488Great Britain Jan. 7, 1944

